Small Spaces: Hygge-rising our Sanctuary for Chinese New Year

Posted by May January 22, 2020

Small Spaces: Hygge-rising our Sanctuary for Chinese New Year

It's not every year I find the inspiration and energy to put something Chinese New Yearsy for the home. This time round, Christmas is especially close to the Year of the Rat - exactly a month away! As soon as we rung in 2020, that space that once stood our six feet tall Christmas tree was due to go. But I procrastinated. The start of the New Year, the start of a new school year, the busy-ness of everything had our tree overstayed a little. I decided to get my act together two weeks before 25th January 2020 and ta-da! We got something celebratory for the Year of the Rat.

OUR HYGGE-INSPIRED HOOGA CORNER

Hygge, pronounced as Hue-guh or Hoo-gah, is a Danish word used when acknowledging a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cosy, charming or special.

I was invited to pay a visit to HOOGA [pronounced as Hue-guh], a home and living concept store. I almost brought home the entire store! Great World City is HOOGA's fourth store in Singapore and I cannot believe I haven't visited any of their stores in Raffles City, Westgate and Suntec City. Priscillia, @styledbypt, dropped by my place last year and told me I'd love HOOGA. She was right. I love it! Surprisingly, their price points are very reasonable! For the atas-looking products they carry? They are tagged at a fair and affordable price.

This is our hygge corner featuring HOOGA's faux lemon tree, photo frame, bark-inspired table, faux lavender bouquet, skinny vase and faux twigs and berries. The bill for all of these came up to be S$180; including the table yes!

This sight is the first thing we see every morning when we walk out of our rooms to the living area. Such a reminder that the festive season's just around the corner.

MOUSE ORIGAMI

I found the tutorial to this adorable origami mouse while looking for something easy to craft with the children. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew this had to be it!

I didn't have any origami papers so we made do with construction papers cut into squares. We then printed a page of red round circles of 鼠 and pasted them on the both sides of the body to enhance the Chinese New Year look-and-feel. Download the template here [page 14, small sized 鼠]

Extremely happy to share the origami tutorial on the blog and if you do make your own mice, tag me and share them with me!

SPRING FESTIVAL COUPLETS

A few years ago, I met a Calligraphy master in Singapore at a Chinese New Year pop-up in Vivo City. He does customisation for spring couplets [春联]. I threw him a challenge: to include my family's names and Chinese zodiac signs in my couplet. He told me to give him 90 minutes to think and when I return, he will show it to me before he put the brush on paper.

媚，瑞祥，亿文，鸡，龙

He wrote: 春光明媚 [top], 金鸡报晓瑞祥年 [left], 玉龙合珠文锦绣 [right]

So beautiful! So creative! So original. I love it a lot but soon after, Faye was born. I made a new couplet to include her name and asked if her Chinese zodiac can be included too.

媚，瑞祥，亿文，婧霏, 鸡，龙, 马

Another master wrote: 春光明媚 [top], 婧文亿章湞姸霏 [left], 龙马精神呈瑞祥 [right]

He couldn't fit in the Rooster zodiac sign in it. After excessive use, tearing it down and pasting it up on my wall for several years had the papers destroyed. I needed a new set of 春联 but I was doubtful I'll find another master so skilled again.

Not giving up, I went for a walk at Chinatown hoping to meet with some calligraphers and sounding them out on their skill sets. One stepped out for a minute and they don't know when he was coming back. His works looked very professional and he even had books published. They showed me his penmanship but I couldn't wait indefinitely for his return. I left.

I walked up to another stall. He was young and mmm gave me a surprised look on his face when I said I would like a customisation on my 春联 to include my family's names in it. He later agreed he could do it but I didn't have confidence in him.

Walked a little further and met this lady calligrapher. Her penmanship is so beautiful I couldn't step away! Very full and precise. I'd like her to write. However, can she live up to the last master I worked with? She agreed with full confidence that she is able to include 媚，瑞祥，亿文，婧霏 in it. I skipped the Chinese Zodiac this time, not wanting to further stress her. She had a queue!

"Come back in 30 minutes" she told me. "S$30."

Okay! She was so assuring! 30 minutes and she'll be done? No vetting though. When she started writing, I was in awe. Loving her handwriting to bits! When she was done, I was disappointed by the lack of innovation.

She simply wrote my children's names one after another and wished them well on their studies *hahaha*

*sigh* take it as I've paid her for penmanship lah. If you are looking for 春联, I'd say go to her but for her pre-written list of blessings at a cheaper rate. She has too many customers for Chinese New Year and doesn't have time to think in depth a customised couplet.

I didn't know what to do with that empty space within the couplets and decided to put up a word written with red packets! That night, I thought of a few words - 杨 [our family name], 恩 [kind], 福 [fortune], 爱 [love] but decided on 家 [home].

Made out of DBS red packets I collected through the years, I found it very meaningful to put up four different facial designs depicting Meyer, Me, Ewan and Faye! It was so cute it was almost childish. The kids woke up the next morning and were pleasantly surprise to be greeted by a word they both can read.

家 is the perfect word for it.

I didn't have anymore bandwidth to think further on decor and left this as it is!

THE GOOD MAKERS COMPANY

Thank you Angie for sending this lovely gift done by The Good Makers Company over Christmas. One that is suitable for both festivals! One that can be hung in the home for the entire year in fact.

We had it up on the wall over Christmas next to our tree. For Chinese New Year, I decided to include our house dog to hold it around his neck.

URBAN LI'L

I've been owning little and big customisations from Urban Li'l ever since they started business in Singapore! Two of which broke because one fell from a high shelf and the other from the wall. I know... my fault. I haven't taken good care of them. The only memory I have of them now are from photographs.

Old memories aside, here's what I've made to welcome the New Year! Oh dear... am I going overboard with names? I got our names made into ornaments!

Go check out their website for Chinese New Year clearance that are going at a lower price than normal only on 22nd and 23rd January 2020! So meaning, check then out NOW!

THE TAISUN CORNER

Caught! Crumbs on their lips! Unlike their mom, these two love their snacks. There’s so much to love from Tai Sun’s exciting range of festive goodies. I said it last year and I’ll say it again: We Love Their Pineapple Tarts!

Loving it so much, it’s really quite hard to try another. It’s the right kind of sweetness and how I love the way the buttery pastry melts in my mouth. I am particularly fussy. Only Malacca’s Nyonya dumplings. Only Cantonment’s Ang Ku Kueh. Only NOYA’s Pineapple Tarts!

I placed all our snacks on our kitchen bar top together with Faye's Chinese New Year artworks from Da Little Art School.